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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29306451">the sea of sails and souls</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyunchans/pseuds/hyunchans'>hyunchans</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stray Kids (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Blood, Death, Falling In Love, Fantasy, Hurt, M/M, MCD, Pain, Pirate Jisung, Prophecies, Protective, Underwater Cities, alcohol - rum, angst - i guess??, finding a sense of belonging, gore isn't described but blood is present and noted, im so sorry for this in advance, kingdom - Freeform, mainly at sea and on a ship, mild vomit, original fantasy world and lore, original setting - ewrada, pirate brandings, pirate ship, sailor superstitions, scales and tails, siren minho, the green flash, violence between sirens at the end</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 08:07:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,000</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29306451</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyunchans/pseuds/hyunchans</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>one lonely pirates fate is to meet one of saphilore’s deadly sirens, to warm his cold heart. but will jisung fulfil the project unscathed? or will the seas claim back one of their own.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>MINSUNG FICATHON: Round One; 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. the kingdom of ewrada</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloomering/gifts">bloomering</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>written for <a href="http://twitter.com/minsungficathon">minsung ficathon</a>, prompt 124: minho is a siren who lures sailors with his falsetto and eventually kills them, until one day he meets jisung and maybe he is the one who falls for the lonely pirate.</p><p>i owe so much to a lovely individual for helping me with the outline and giving me the spark that was the ending of this. thank you so so so much :') ♡ (i will place a link to their twitter here after reveals)</p><p>some additional notes:<br/>- some aspects of the lore have been taken from aspects of pop culture and original lore as do most au's like this, however, i have done my best to adapt it to the story i wish to tell and hopefully give a fresh take on the aspects i have chosen to include. i really hope you like it!</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>this is the world map i have created for this kingdom!</p><p>i have purposefully left out the underwater cities from this map.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>The Kingdom of Ewrada</strong>
  </span>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. the sea of sails and souls</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> Many seas ago there was a lonely pirate who set off on a voyage to complete a task for the King. Said pirate had no idea that he was to fall in love with one of the most vicious sirens in Saphilore, eventually turning his stone-cold heart comfortingly warm. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>⎈</b>
</p><p> </p><p>The land/sea treaty had been in place since before Minho had been born. That was nearly two hundred years ago now, and he could never stop thinking about what it would have been like to have existed in a time where there were no rules and boundaries holding him back from living the true life of the Siren that he was. </p><p>He came from the underwater city of Saphilore, one of two underwater cities in the Kingdom of Ewrada. Saphiloreans prided themselves on their ferocity, of their siren nature despite having to comply with the rules of the treaty. They found their way around it, as did the pirates who sailed their waters just outside the border of their home. Minho wasn't like the other sirens who would lure sailors and pirates to their immediate death with their melodic falsettos. Instead, he toyed with his food - he let the sailors leave, only to draw them back in days later. He'd repeat the process until he'd grown bored, until the unsuspecting human was consumed by their desire for the ocean and plunged right into depths of the Saphilorean sea.</p><p>He'd often wondered about what would happen if he dared undergo amphibious transformation - a painful metamorphosis that would give him legs, get rid of his scales and webbed fingers. He could walk the cities of Ewrada and wreak all sorts of havoc completely under the radar. Such an action would earn him a jail cell in Davy Jones but he couldn't stop thinking about it - about having the humans in the palm of his hand.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>⎈</b>
</p><p> </p><p>Jisung woke up to the sound of rooster's outside of his window, the shrilling noise ringing in his eardrums as he was pulled from his slumber. His head felt heavy after his restless night sleep, too anxious over the big day he had ahead of him. He rose from the bed in the dainty shack he lived in, looked outside to see cloudy skies and busy hoards of townspeople going about their morning business.</p><p>Jisung's ancestors had all come from the line of pirates that ran out of the port side town, Baywater. Jisung's father was the lord of the port, responsible for all of the pirates and the work they were hired to do for the palace. Over the years their thieving ways had turned into something more for their Kingdom - making peace between the seas two dominating underwater cities. As long as the pirates upheld their end of the bargain with the King, they were free to plunder where they saw fit. It was messed up, but it was the family Jisung was brought into.</p><p>The Kingdom of Ewrada had been standing for thousands and thousands of years, and many of Jisung's ancestors were tasked with the same mission Jisung was about to embark on.</p><p>Jisung was only twenty and setting out for his first solo voyage on orders from the Governor of Lerport, who had been sent said orders from the King himself. It was rather simple - sail the usual course between the two underwater cities and look out for any unusual activity or bodies floating in the water. Normally they would send out an official ambassador to accompany the pirate responsible for sailing the course but apparently, things between the two cities were rather swell at the moment so the King hadn't deemed it appropriate to waste the talents of one ambassador.</p><p>Jisung was skilled with his words: able to get himself out of any sticky situation. It was a surprising talent given how lonely the pirate was, how little interaction he sought out with others. </p><p>When dealing with the sirens of Saphilore the pirates were always urged to be cautious: the vicious half-human, half mer-people were known for their bloodthirsty ways and luring sailors to their death despite the treaty in place. They always knew how to get around the loopholes and Jisung would have to be on high alert if he didn't want to fall prey to a vigilante.</p><p>He pulled on his brown breeches, followed by a loose white blouse that had a floaty v line at the chest. He fitted the brown, long line leather coat over his shoulders and ruffled his shoulder-length, sleep tousled black hair. Jisung stared into the reflection of the small mirror that hung on the wall of his bedroom, at the blueish-green bags that had settled in underneath his bottom eyelids. He sighed deeply, teeth catching over his chapped lips as he tried to drown out the chatter of the streets behind him. He had to complete this task efficiently, and he knew that it could go wrong at any minute despite being told that things were peaceful between Aquasa and Saphilore. He'd only heard stories about the Sirens and Merpeople that hailed from the two underwater cities, never had he seen one with his own two eyes.</p><p>
  <em> He never could have expected what the following week would hold for him, that he was on the path of following a long-forgotten prophecy of a lonely pirate warming a cold, vicious Siren's heart. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>⎈</b>
</p><p> </p><p>Jisung stood at the helm of his ship 'La Perle': a gorgeous small ship that he could manage himself and contained everything he needed for the week-long voyage. He looked out at the port town behind him. In true Jisung fashion, no-one had come to his ship to wish him good luck or goodbye. He’d expected it and it wasn’t surprising that no-one was waving him away as he set course for the Saphilore border. He watched as chickens ran amuck and the vendors scattered through the streets sold all sorts of materials, herbs and spices. Something tugged at his heart, an overwhelming sense of estrangement as he watched individuals of young and old interacting with their families and friends without a care in the world.</p><p>Jisung could not, and probably <em>never </em>would relate.</p><p>He walked to the storage area on the lower deck to check his water supply. Four barrels would be more than enough for drinking and washing as well as cleansing any injuries that may occur. He glanced to the right, at the half-empty barrel of rum that would certainly save him from boredom once he was finally out on the ocean and needing to occupy himself when night would finally fall upon him. He’d heard that sleeping underneath the stars, while being rocked to sleep by the waves keeping his ship afloat would be one of the best feelings in the world. It was possibly one of the most sought after feelings that only pirates had the chance to experience in their lifetime, that regular townsfolk would kill to experience at least <em> once.  </em></p><p>He was thankful that he had no crew to order about, that it would be just him, his ship, and the sea carrying his miserable soul to Saphilore. It had been years since he’d sought out a friend, that he’d engaged in more than just pleasantries with someone that was not his father. His father never returned home often - as Lord of the Port he had responsibilities that meant more than the wellbeing of his own pirate son, not considering the calamity that caused Jisung to become so antisocial and closed off in the first place.</p><p>Jisung had pushed it so far into the depths of his mind, trapped it, and locked it away in a dark box he wouldn’t reopen if he could avoid it.</p><p>He started to wind up the anchor that was keeping him still at the dock, using all of his strength as it rolled slowly out of the water and into its location to be stored until next used. He raised the mast, watched as it caught the wind that was blowing from behind him. </p><p>It was time to leave Baywater behind, and see what the seas of Saphilore had waiting for him.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>⎈</b>
</p><p> </p><p>The first day of the voyage went well. Jisung had steered the ship out past Ochenbus, the northernmost city in Ewrada. There were only two towns that made up the entirety of the land - Dryside and Dustwharf. Jisung could still remember the years of his childhood he spent in Dustwharf, of the weapons master who taught him how to wield a sword and perfect his aim with the blunderbuss: a firearm with a flared muzzle in order to help spread out the shot. He could still remember the blacksmith who gave him his own blade when he turned twelve and spent hours showing him how to keep it shiny and clean.</p><p>It was a time where Jisung was less reserved, unaware of the betrayal and hurt that others could inflict on him. It was simple - the naivety of children who knew no better, knew nothing of the bone-chilling reality of the world they lived in. </p><p>Jisung had woken from his slumber, rolling over in the wooden lined bed built into the captain’s cabin. His back cried out in agony, yet there was nothing he could do to soothe the knots and aches but get on with his day and hope that movement would at least soothe <em>some </em>of it. He walked through to the small wash area, did his business, and used a damp piece of material to sponge bathe himself. It was important that he conserved what water he had in case an accident were to occur - Jisung just hopes that the sea is on his side for the week.</p><p>When he walks out onto the lower deck and the first thing he sees is the red sunrise. He leans against the edge of the ship, breathing deeply as he took in the stillness of the water, of the red sky blooming down on him, casting everything beautiful shades of amber and scarlet. He was reminded of an old sailor's phrase, of the importance of the sky and the time of day - really it was just another pirate superstition.</p><p>"Red sky at night, sailors delight; red sky in the morning, sailors take warning."</p><p>
  <em> The pirate was to gaze upon scarlet skies on his first morning on his voyage, the indicator that the Siren he was to meet was on his way. </em>
</p><p>Jisung hummed as he watched the sunrise from beyond the horizon, feeling the warmth slowly cascade over his skin.</p><p>He knew to take superstitions seriously, especially after tales he’d heard as a child on one of his father's voyages.</p><p>If only he knew what nightfall had coming.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>⎈</b>
</p><p> </p><p>Minho was used to running cold. </p><p>No matter the temperature of the sun or the waters he swam through, nothing could warm his body, could warm the blue blood pumping through his mer-veins. He felt comfort in his coolness, in the fact that it was hard to make him feel powerful emotions other than the need to kill sailors and the usual feelings day to day life would pass over him. It was his normal, and it had always intrigued him how humans were such emotional creatures - crying at something as little as dropping food on the pavement or losing a favorite item. He would never be able to relate to such feeble emotions, to such feelings that must debilitate even the better of the human race.</p><p>He couldn’t imagine living anywhere else but Saphilore. The underwater city was divided into three areas  - The Palace, The Ruins and The Cage. The Ruins were where all regular Sirens lived and the bones of old shipwrecks and troves of pirate treasure scattered the seafloor. The Palace was reserved for the ‘royal’ Siren folk, for original members of the Spahilore dynasty. It was rare to see the royals as they kept to themselves, the Lord of Saphilore only presented himself when punishment was due to be dished out. </p><p>Finally, The Cage.</p><p>God, The Cage.</p><p>The Cage was where traitorous sirens or sirens that broke the rules of the treaty and were caught were sent. It was miles of repurposed fishing cages, of wooden lockable coffins spelled with merfolk magic. Aquasian mermaids rarely came in contact with the sirens but had agreed to use their magic to make the cages impenetrable and impossible to break out of. To be trapped in one of those for all of eternity was worse than death, worse than being hung up on dry land and having the humans poke, prod and torture you. </p><p>It made Minho’s cold body shiver, the thought of being trapped like that.</p><p>It’s why he still made his kills but never did anything more than lead sailors to their death by drowning - maiming was strictly off-limits and punishable by The Cage. </p><p>As he swam through the outskirts of The Ruins, he came across a school of hammerhead sharks peacefully swimming by. The sharks that inhabited their waters were beautiful, misunderstood creatures - in constant fear of fishing boats and sailors turning up at the boundary in search of food for the masses. They helped keep their ecosystem intact, and more often than not helped the sirens out when they were in need. </p><p>Minho envied them in a way.</p><p>As the sharks passed by Minho continued on towards the border of the Saphilore sea, and a large trench symbolized the edge. Minho passed over the seabed, into the cool and dark opening of the trench. He honed in his hearing, listening for miles for any passing ships moving through the water. His temple began to ache towards the East, helping him become aware of a medium-sized ship floating on the water, not quite moving anywhere.</p><p>Minho had found his next victim.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>⎈</b>
</p><p> </p><p>“Drink up me hearties, yo ho!” the pirate sang from the lower deck.</p><p>Minho rolled his eyes from his spot in the waves. </p><p>It hadn't taken him long to track down the ship, his gilled temple aching the whole way until he could finally make out the bottom of the ship on the surface.</p><p>The waves lapped against his gills, keeping him grounded as anger fueled his desire to take this pirate and make him one with the sea. Minho watched on as the pirate sang his silly little tune: he had no idea how close he was to the Saphilorean border and was carelessly drinking from a rum bottle when he hadn’t even let down the anchor yet.</p><p>The pirate was unbelievably careless, and it boiled Minho’s cold blood. </p><p>This certainly wasn’t a kill he’d be proud of. </p><p>Normally sailors would be his go-to. Pirates weren’t necessarily off-limits but the way this one was acting was just begging for death to fall upon him. Minho wasn’t one to deny himself of his true, blood-thirsty nature. </p><p>He’d be just another ignorant human to meet his end and sink to the seafloor, bound to Davy Jones's locker for the rest of eternity. Minho moved through the water, floating just beneath the stern on the starboard side. It was a difficult decision - he could either start his melody and drown the pirate or undergo the painful metamorphosis to masquerade as a human with legs. The pirate would probably be too drunk from the rum that he wouldn’t even question how the human had boarded his ship, or where he came from with land nowhere in sight.</p><p>There was something intriguing about the pirate. He wore his loose blouse with the buttons halfway undone, his breeches loose yet snug-fitting in all the right places. He held himself unusually like he had something to prove even though there was no-one else there but the sea. </p><p>The pirate drained the last of the rum from the dusty bottle he had been drinking from, and let it roll off the small table to the deck. The sound of the glass shattering pierced Minho’s enhanced hearing, sending his head back under the water to soothe the pain ringing in his eardrums. </p><p>The words that came from the pirate’s mouth as Minho re-emerged from the sea foam filled him with irritability that was certainly not going to go away for a long time to come. </p><p>“Why’s the rum gone?” the pirate slurred. </p><p>“Because you drank it all you oblivious oaf,” Minho hissed under his breath. The spikes that lined the spine of his tail started to ache, his siren song begging to be sung. He brushed his thinly webbed fingers over the spikes in the water, letting the ache spread through the rest of the spikes scatter down his forearms, his spine. </p><p>Minho was about to make a decision he couldn’t turn back on once he began it, but the way the pirate was so ignorant to his surroundings made him want to show him why he should never let his guard down, and that the sons of the sea were always lying in wait. </p><p>Minho began his siren song as the pirate decided to unbutton another one of the buttons on his blouse. Minho couldn’t roll his eyes any further from the concentration he needed to follow through with to keep his song going. His beautiful falsetto filled the air, the winds carrying his tune right up to the pirate’s unsuspecting ears. The pirate’s demeanor changed instantly, body being controlled by an otherworldly source as he wandered down the deck, peering over the side of the boat, looking, searching.</p><p>Minho sang louder, and the pirate snapped his head in his direction.</p><p>
  <em> Finally. </em>
</p><p>The pirate scuffed his feet against the floor of the ship, crawling over the edge towards Minho. He dropped into the water with absolutely no grace, falling with a tumble and a few turns. Minho swam closer. The pirate emerged at the surface, gazing around for the owner of the lush song that was playing in his ears. When his eyes landed on Minho’s it was the first time the siren had ever seen such a look depicted in a victim’s eyes. As the pirate swam closer, just about arms length away, Minho could finally place it.</p><p>Vacant.</p><p>Lonely. </p><p>His eyes had no life to them yet so much pain and hurt. Minho didn’t know what to do when the pirate grabbed hold of his scaled wrist, tugging him towards him. </p><p>“You are beautiful,” the pirate said through his spell.</p><p>Minho couldn’t bear it.</p><p>The sadness that laced the pirate’s voice, the loneliness that stank and overpowered the smell of rum on the pirate’s breath.</p><p>Minho couldn’t do this. </p><p>The siren stopped his song, and the pirate soon regained his consciousness. He was confused when he looked at Minho who was pushing him through the water to the ladder attached to the side of the ship.</p><p>“Get up. Go on,” Minho hissed at the pirate. The pirate wasted no time scrambling for the ladder, fumbling so hard that he surely caused splinters to pierce through the pads of his fingers as he clawed his way up. </p><p>Minho didn’t know what this feeling was, but what he was sure of was the fact he couldn’t kill him.</p><p>That despite what is expected of him and his vicious, killer nature - that he simply couldn’t bring himself to follow through. </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>⎈</b>
</p><p> </p><p>Jisung scrambled onto the deck of the ship, completely drenched from having gone overboard. Maybe it was the rum but there was no way a siren had turned him away after luring him all the way out. He furiously picked at the splinters lodged in his fingers and peered back overboard. His stomach was gurgling and he felt nauseous - a factor from far too much rum.</p><p>Wind started to whistle in his ears, pulling at his body with a piercing coolness.</p><p>It was almost numbing.</p><p>At first, he thought it was from the sails but when he turned around his sails were not even moving an inch. </p><p>
  <em> It was yet another warning the sea was offering, a secret promise of what was to come. </em>
</p><p>He spun back around and sure enough, there was the siren getting closer and closer to the lead that led up to the deck. Jisung’s head started to spin and as he watched the siren hold onto the ladder, as his face started to contort as he screamed. The siren’s spikes and gills were disappearing but the poor merfolk looked like it was <em> killing </em>him. </p><p>Jisung could only watch as the siren roared in agony and couldn’t shake the nausea creeping up his abdomen. He felt himself hit the deck before his world went dark, a combination of shock and alcohol blanketing him in slumber. </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>⎈</b>
</p><p> </p><p>Minho somehow found the strength to sigh through his screams as he heard the pirate hit the deck above. </p><p>He hadn’t expected it but was still not surprised. He’s probably the first siren he has ever laid eyes on. </p><p>Lucky him.</p><p>As Minho completed the transformation, he was shocked that in his two hundred years of life, that protecting a human was the reason he would finally feel the need to undergo metamorphosis. The cool breeze against his human legs felt luscious, the sea breeze adding an extra layer of salt to his skin. He ran a palm over his bare body, feeling the way his new curves and grooves moved as he hoisted himself onto the ladder and up to the lower deck of the ship.</p><p>He looked at the pirate in a heap on the deck, at how pathetic he looked even during slumber. Minho noticed the goosebumps over his exposed skin and felt something weird stir in his chest. He looked at where the anchor was and decided to lower it himself. If he didn’t the pirate would be in danger, with no control over where the waves took him while he slept. It was easy to let down - even with legs he still maintained his siren strength and exerted little energy lowering it to the seafloor.</p><p>Minho took one last glance at the pirate on the deck, at the way his lips pursed through his dreams.</p><p>It was intriguing, the feelings that throbbed in Minho’s heart - an ache so strong and impossible to ignore. He basically had to force himself to jump off the ship and back into the water, the cool liquid caressing his skin in a way that said, “Welcome back home.”</p><p>The transformation back to his natural siren state was far less painful than growing legs. His tail sort of just slid out from the thigh muscles and his spikes poked back through his skin as though they had never left. </p><p>As Minho looked back at the ship he noticed the cursive handwriting on the side.</p><p>
  <em> La Perle. </em>
</p><p>It seemed fitting for the raven-haired pirate sleeping on the deck.</p><p>Minho almost didn’t want to leave, but with the anchor down he was sure that the pirate would be alright.</p><p>“Until we meet again.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>⎈</b>
</p><p> </p><p>As the siren swam back into The Ruins he couldn’t help but feel… strange. </p><p>He’d never experienced such emotions before, had never come across someone that looked and acted the way the pirate did.</p><p>Was that what pain did to someone?</p><p>Make them so barren and empty, yet so full to the core with a desire to be seen and heard. It was perplexing, and it stirred something within Minho. His chest ached, his spines tingled and his tail felt numb in certain places. </p><p>The pirate had done something to him, made him <em> feel </em>something he had never experienced in his two hundred years of life living in Saphilore. He was so lost in his thoughts that he almost missed overhearing the conversation of three sirens near his cave.</p><p>
  <em> “Yeah there’s a ship out to the east, just put down the anchor and settling on down.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Should we go?” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “I haven’t killed someone in so long, do you reckon we could have some fun with the crew?” </em>
</p><p>There was no boat to the east except for the pirates, and there was definitely no crew. </p><p>The pirate was alone. </p><p>Minho swam around the corner of his cave, and continued to listen in on the other siren’s conversation.</p><p>
  <em> “If no-one else knows then there is no way that would get caught. C’mon, let’s have some fun.” </em>
</p><p>Minho had to warn the pirate, before it was too late. </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>⎈</b>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> Jisung stirred after sunrise the next morning. The sun beamed down onto his cheek, and as he forced his eyes open and inhaled the salty sea laden air, Jisung felt the sudden urge to be sick.<b></b></p><p>As he rolled over, the contents of last night's dinner went all over the deck and Jisung swore. His mind was foggy and he felt like someone had hit him over the head with the hilt of a sword. It was a blinding pain that seared through his forehead but he had to get on with the voyage. It was his own fault for getting so drunk, for his desperate attempt at quelling the thoughts that pried at his mind. <b></b></p><p>Instead of red skies, the sky was a beautiful sapphire blue, with no cloud in sight. It was scorching already and Jisung could feel the hair at the back of his neck sticking to his clammy skin. When he undid the plait he had secured his long hair in, he was shocked at the knots that refused the pull through his fingers. He didn’t remember washing his hair or being covered in sea spray at all within the last twenty-four hours. </p><p>Visions sparked in his memory, of a beautiful siren before him in the waters below his ship.<b></b></p><p><em> A dream, it had to be.  </em> <b></b></p><p>Jisung forced himself off the deck, heading to the water barrels to begin cleaning his sick off the deck. He noticed that the anchor line was all the way down, and rubbed his fingers over the stern of the ship.<b></b></p><p>He didn't remember putting it down, however, he didn't remember much of the previous night despite the vivid dream of a caring siren he had met.</p><p>
  <em>How strange.</em>
</p><p>He had until the end of the day to reach Sailor’s Cove, an underwater cave area where Saphilore sirens were said to dump the bones of sailors when they had desecrated on the seafloor. The cave poked above the surface, about four meters in height and in the shape of a crescent moon. It was a legend, though a legend that wasn’t dared to be proven by pirates and sailors alike.<b></b></p><p>If Jisung could finish cleaning up within ten minutes then he would still be able to reach the old cave area by nightfall. <b></b></p><p>Hours passed by and Jisung was left with only his thoughts. <b></b></p><p>It was repetitive - the voice inside of his head. <b></b></p><p>He was lonely by choice, yes - but it didn’t stop the fantasy he had of meeting someone that would make him feel seen and valued. As though he was worth paying attention to in the means of friendship. He arrived at Sailors Cove right on time, the eerie atmosphere of the crescent-shaped cave, seemingly out of nowhere was unsettling.<b></b></p><p>“Perle!”</p><p>A voice gathered his attention, and he looked directly to the spot where he thought the voice came from. There floating in the water was the siren from the previous night, the siren he thought was a figment of his imagination waving his webbed hands in Jisung’s direction.<b></b></p><p>“Shiver me god damn timbers,” Jisung swore.<b></b></p><p>He hadn’t dreamt it after all.</p><p> </p><p>⎈</p><p> </p><p>“Perle!” Minho shouted from the starboard side. The pirate’s head darted in his direction, mouth hanging open as he narrowed his sight in on him floating in the water.  </p><p>“Perle. That is the name of your ship, no?” the siren asked him. Minho floated close to the edge of the ship, not wanting to scare the pirate as he looked down upon him.</p><p>The pirate chuckled, “Yes. Yes, it is.”</p><p>“What may I call you, pirate?”</p><p>“Jisung. I’m Jisung,” he answered the siren.</p><p>“I’m Minho. A siren from Saphilore.”</p><p>“I gathered that,” Jisung smiled at him.</p><p>The warmth that radiated with his aura was indisputable, and Minho wondered where such longing and loneliness stemmed from.</p><p>“Did you put my anchor down last night?”</p><p>The siren smiled.</p><p>He <em>smiled.  </em></p><p>The water waded around Minho as he leaned against the bottom of the ship, nodding his head in Jisung’s direction.</p><p>“Look Jisung, you’re in danger. Rouge sirens are planning to attack your ship and I wanted to offer you my protection.”</p><p>Jisung looked as though his world just shattered to pieces.</p><p>“H-how far away are they? Are you sure you would risk your life for mine? I’ve heard stories-”</p><p>“The stories are true which is why I cannot let them take someone who has done no wrong.”</p><p>Jisung hummed, looking over Minho’s upper torso above the water.</p><p>“I suppose it would be nice having some company.”</p><p> </p><p>⎈</p><p> </p><p>Night fell and as the sun was setting Jisung felt a wash of cool air tickle the back of his neck. He looked to his right, unable to see where he knew Minho was watching the perimeter underneath the surface. He felt comforted, and he smiled as he went below deck to start washing up. He shrugged off his coat and pulled out the tie holding his long hair in a ponytail. As he rolled up his sleeves he took in the black ink that scattered and marked his skin.</p><p>Though they appeared to be tattoos, some of them were actually the brandings of the King.</p><p>It was compulsory from the point in time where the King made the deal with the pirates - an easy way to see if they were caught that they were able to be punished by the King accordingly. The first of them was an outline of the sun and three waves with a crown in the center - the direct brand all pirates received when the Kingsmen did their yearly rounds at Baywater. </p><p>The second, a seagull soaring with its wings outstretched - to brand him as one of his father’s. Being the son of the Lord of the Port was dangerous, and if Jisung was to ever be caught doing something he shouldn’t be… well he didn’t want to think about that. Over the years of his youth, he obtained marks that weren’t brandings, going to the black market in secret with gold he’d saved year after year. They made him feel individual, like he had stories visibly able to be read on his skin without having to say a word.</p><p>When he emerged on the upper deck and stepped into the longboat that was stored on the side of the ship for emergencies, Minho was waiting patiently for him at the water's surface. The longboat seemed to take <em>years </em>to lower into the water but once he was down there he secured the blanket he had taken with him and wrapped it around himself.</p><p>“So… Tell me.”</p><p>Minho cocked his head, and Jisung giggled as the siren’s eyebrow twitched.</p><p>“Tell you what?”</p><p>“What is Saphilore actually like? What is it like to be one with the sea?”</p><p>Minho whistled, gently splashing water into the boat with his tail as he giggled along with the pirate.</p><p>“Where do I begin?”</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>⎈</b>
</p><p> </p><p>Over the course of many hours, Jisung had learnt all there was to know about the city of Saphilore. Even more so, about the life that was of Minho. The siren seemed to be unsure of certain human emotions, despite exhibiting many that he had no clue of.</p><p>Jisung had equally spent those hours telling Minho stories of Baywater and the other cities and towns in Ewrada. He’d even stupidly promised to bring Minho there one day. One promise was enough to get Jisung saturated in water from Minho’s tail as it twitched without warning over the water's surface. </p><p>Jisung could be nothing but happy because someone seemed to want to be his friend too.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>⎈</b>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Jisung was interesting.</p><p>Minho decided that the pirate was special - his way with words and the eloquence he displayed when he spoke of the times that troubled him as a youth was something Minho was not not used to, that he had never heard before.  Minho felt his chest tighten as he listened to the story of Jisung’s childhood best friend - a friend that ended up turning him over to his father over a small misdemeanor which earned him twenty days of isolation in the brig of his father's ship.</p><p>Minho thought sirens were cruel, but this father?</p><p>It was a new level of horrible behavior that left Minho bone-chillingly cold, his mouth dry and sour.</p><p>When Jisung had eventually excused himself and started to haul the longboat back up the ship so he could go to sleep, Minho felt the first slivers of warmth caress his body for the first time.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>⎈</b>
</p><p> </p><p>The following day of sailing hours were longer than the previous, but Jisung felt safe with Minho watching the waters below.</p><p>There was a part of him that worried for the sirens' safety - he was pure whether he knew it or not and Jisung wished he didn’t already have a soft spot, a secret feeling brewing away over the siren. He felt like he could steer the ship easily, not needing to double even triple check the map every five minutes.</p><p>Minho instilled in him a feeling he'd long forgotten, a feeling he didn't mind had returned.</p><p>When Minho gazed up at the pirate, his long hair blowing with the breeze, he couldn't help but feel a warm rush of longing cascade through his gills and run over his spikes. </p><p>Minho thought that maybe the sirens had decided not to go through with their plan, that they finally saw it as the death wish it was.</p><p>Fate had something else in mind.</p><p>
  <b>⎈</b>
</p><p> </p><p>Minho had turned away for just a second. A second was more than enough time for the group of sirens that had been tailing the ship to begin their siren song, luring Jisung to the side of the ship. It was as though time had slowed, playing the scene before him in slow motion. The sea was no longer on his side, time and space no longer existed as Minho opened his mouth wide, the roaring siren scream belting from his throat enough to shatter the eardrums of any human not compelled by siren song for miles.</p><p>While he could scream, he couldn’t begin his own song to draw Jisung’s attention elsewhere. The pirate dived right overboard, directly into the spiked arms of one of the sirens.</p><p>Terror and dread filled Minho’s body. </p><p>His heart felt like it was collapsing to pieces, the spikes trailing down his body feeling like they were about to snap off. He couldn’t swim fast enough, his speed compromised by the pain filling his veins, warming his cool circulatory system. </p><p>“Hold on Jisung. Please hold on,” Minho pleaded.</p><p>Minho slammed into the siren who was gripping onto Jisung’s chest above his heart. Its talons hadn’t sunk all the way in but blood was mixing with the water around them, the two sirens behind them not seeming to want to step in. The sirens weren’t even following the rules they had in place - the death of any sailor had to be drowning, not what these sirens had in mind. Minho pulled his tail in the other siren’s direction, his spikes piercing into its abdomen. The siren screeched in pain, releasing its grip on Jisung who fell below the surface.</p><p>“What did you do to him!” Minho screamed, belting the siren a second and third time with his tail.</p><p>“What he had coming. Who are you to punish me for this? You are <em> one </em>of us,” the siren yelled at him. Minho threw his webbed fist against the temple of the siren’s face. It screeched, blue blood bellowing into the water around them.</p><p>Minho looked around for Jisung, desperately trying to find where he had sunk. He spotted him, a few meters down and sped through the water to him, water bubbles spreading over his tail. With two arms wrapped around his chest, Minho bounded up to the surface, submerging just as the other sirens were swimming away, their injured leader in tow.</p><p>Minho pressed his lips curtly over Jisung’s, using his siren abilities to pull the water from his lungs. Water came spilling out as Jisung coughed and sputtered weakly, clear seafoam soon turning thick and bloody.</p><p>Jisung continued to cough up small amounts of blood as he floated in Minho’s arms, his limbs rolling with the waves that were lulling peacefully around them - as if they knew what was on the horizon.</p><p>“Come on Jisung, time to get back onto the boat. Time to go home,” Minho said. Blood dripped down Jisung’s chin, and Minho felt around his chest, heart sinking to the ocean floor as he felt that the siren had successfully caved in his chest, bone, and tissue putting weight on his weakening heart, clogging his arteries with blood.</p><p>“Let the ocean take me Minho, it’s okay.” Jisung’s words were garbled as gurgled on blood, weak hands trying to reach out for Minho’s cheek.</p><p>Minho screwed his face up in agony, the green tears that started to roll down his cheeks a sight Jisung had never seen before. It reminded him of the green flash his father had told him as a bedtime story when he was a child, the sudden memory of it flashing before his eyes. The green flash occurred on rare occasions, as the last glimpse of the setting sun disappeared a green light would shoot up and into the dark sky above. What his father had also told him, was that according to pirate lore, it signaled when a soul that was on its way to passing over had fulfilled a prophecy, changing the course of the Kingdom for the better. It wasn’t quite a flash but the way the tears seemed to glow as he gazed up at Minho made Jisung feel as though he was exactly where he needed to be.</p><p>Minho shook his head, green tears rolling off his face and down his chest as he cried “No. Stay with me, you can’t just-”</p><p>“Admit it, there is nothing you can do.”</p><p>Jisung’s eyes were somber, his words weightless like he knew he was on death's door.</p><p>“I’m glad that you are here with me, that I don’t have to be alone.”</p><p>“Never alone you idiot,” Minho whispered through his sobs.</p><p>“You know, for a siren, you aren’t all that scary after all.”</p><p>Minho laughed, arms tightening around Jisung’s dying body.</p><p>“For a pirate you’re… not what I expected.”</p><p>“Come on is that all you’ve got?"</p><p>Minho paused for a moment, feeling the life slowly draining out of Jisung and into the softening waves around them.</p><p>“I never expected a pirate to let me experience warmth,” Minho said, voice barely more than a whisper.</p><p>Jisung brushed a thumb over Minho’s lips, digging his fingernail between the plush muscles, parting them.</p><p>“Would you do me the honor taking my last moments of warmth? A parting gift?” Jisung was fading, his words slurring and becoming jumbled together.</p><p>Minho pulled Jisung further up in the water, helping him secure his hands around his neck, holding on as he pressed his lips against his feebly. Minho helped guide him, kissing him back and squeezing his shoulders. His tail twitched beneath the water, warmth moving all around him. It felt peaceful, and calm despite the horrid heartbreak consuming his physical outside body and mind.</p><p>Jisung’s lips were cold and blue, but the tongue he slipped between Minho’s lips was nothing short of burning hot - a passion-fueled kiss.</p><p>“Thank you for choosing to save me Minho, thank you for caring.”</p><p>“Thank <em> you </em>for showing me all that you had to offer. For giving me this feeling in here,” Minho gulped as he pointed to his heart.</p><p>“I don’t know what it’s called, but seeing you dying before me… it’s making me feel like I’m dying too. It’s painful Jisung, I don’t want you to leave.</p><p>“Your soul, Minho. We call it your soul. You care about me, that’s the sign of a <em> good </em>soul.”</p><p>
  <em> It was in fact, the siren's soul. But what the pirate also didn’t know, was that it was the feeling of mutual love, of the barriers that within only a few days were taken down due to the pirate’s openness, of his desire for a friend.  </em>
</p><p>“It could also be love, romantic or platonic. Both work,” Jisung whispered, a single tear rolling down his cheek, dropping into the water surrounding them.</p><p>“Soul,” Minho whispered. </p><p>“Love?”</p><p>“Yes, Minho. Love - an intense feeling of affection for another.” Jisung’s lip trembled as he repeated the four-letter word. The siren was confused but as he gazed into Jisung’s eyes and attempted to wipe away the blood collecting on his chin, Minho thought he understood what both finally meant. </p><p>“I think I’m falling for you, Jisung.”</p><p>Jisung began to go slack, his grip on Minho’s neck loosening as his body finally gave out. He slipped away as Minho had strung the words together, made the connection that had been missing yet there all along.</p><p>In Jisung’s final moments, there was no-one else there but Minho and the sea. </p><p>As his eyes fell shut and his body went limp in Minho’s arms, the sun finally set around them. Despite everything, there was the faintest smile ghosted over Jisung’s lips, like the last words Minho had said had made him the happiest man alive. As the sun dipped below the horizon, Minho couldn't believe his eyes as a flash of green light shot up into the sky. He looked down at Jisung floating before him, at how he looked so peaceful.</p><p>
  <em> At last, the pirate’s prophecy was fulfilled.  </em>
</p><p>And the sea?</p><p>It had reclaimed one of its own.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>kudos or comments will bre greatly appreciated and help me know i'm on the right track with what i am creating. i'm sorry if you currently are in search of tissues, trust me it was hard to write and read over sjhldgjdhg.</p><p>pls don't hate me.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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